Most contractors who ask this have already seen two quotes thousands of dollars apart for what sounded like the same website. Both can be honest. The price depends mostly on who does the work and what happens after launch.
A trade business in Greenville and the Upstate usually gets a website one of four ways. Here is what each one tends to cost and what you get for the money.
1. Build it yourself on a website builder
Builders like Squarespace and Wix charge a monthly subscription. Squarespace's published plans run from $19 to $99 a month billed yearly (Squarespace pricing page, 2026). That covers hosting and the design tools.
It does not cover your time, and that is where this option gets expensive. You write every page, pick the photos, set up local search and fix things when they break. Many owners who go this way end up with one page listing their services and a phone number. That beats having nothing, but it rarely wins a search against a competitor with a real site.
Good fit if you are just starting out, cash is tight and you like doing this kind of work in the evenings.
2. Hire a freelancer
A freelance designer builds the site once and hands it over. Rates vary a lot. On Clutch, designers who build on platforms like Wix, WordPress and Squarespace list rates of $25 to $49 an hour (Clutch web design pricing guide, 2026). Your total depends on how many pages you need and how much of the writing and photo work you hand over.
Before you sign, ask four things. Who writes the words? Who hosts the site? Who updates it when your services or prices change? And what happens if the freelancer takes a full-time job next year? A one-time build is cheap to start and can be expensive to leave alone.
3. Pay an agency a build fee plus a monthly retainer
Agencies usually charge to build the site, then a monthly retainer for search work, ads or upkeep. Web design firms on Clutch mostly charge $100 to $149 an hour, and most projects reviewed there come in under $10,000 (Clutch, 2026). For ongoing search work, a survey of 439 SEO providers found the most common monthly retainer was $501 to $1,000, and agencies averaged $3,209 a month (Ahrefs, 2023).
You get a team and usually stronger work than a solo build. Ask how long the contract runs, who owns the site if you leave, and what the retainer actually produces each month. A monthly report is not the same thing as more calls.
4. A monthly plan built for trades
The fourth option is a fixed monthly price for the website plus the tools that turn visitors into jobs. The site is built on a structure proven for your trade instead of from a blank page, so it costs less than a custom agency build and takes far less of your time than a builder.
This is where Atlas Connect sits. Monthly plans start at $297, and the build is paid for through the monthly price, so nothing is due up front. That covers a 10 to 20 page site written for your trade, a text back when you miss a call, a review request after every job and follow-up on new leads. Sites go live in about 14 days, and monthly plans cancel anytime with 30 days notice. Larger plans are quoted on a 20-minute demo call. If you would rather pay for the website once, we also build it for $2,500 plus $100 a month for hosting and care. The full breakdown is on our pricing page.
The honest trade-off: over several years, a monthly plan can add up to more than a one-time build. It pays when the follow-up tools win jobs you would have lost. If you already have a site that ranks and someone who answers every call, you may not need it.
What actually drives the price
- Number of pages. A page for each service and each town you work in costs more than one page, and it is also what wins local searches.
- Who writes the words. Copy written for your trade takes real time. If you supply it, the price drops.
- Photos. Your own job photos beat stock every time, but someone has to sort and size them.
- Local search setup. Page titles, town pages and your Google Business Profile all take work to get right.
- What happens after launch. Hosting, updates, fixes and changes are either in the price or billed later.
- What is connected. Forms, call tracking, text follow-up and review requests add cost and add jobs.
How to compare two quotes
Put every quote on the same footing: the total over two years, not the first month. Add the build fee, monthly fees, hosting and what you pay for changes. Then ask each one the same question: what happens when a customer calls and nobody picks up? A website brings in the call. Something still has to catch it.
The short answer
A DIY builder costs a small monthly fee plus your time. A freelancer is a one-time price that depends on hours. An agency often means a build fee in the thousands plus a monthly retainer. A monthly plan for trades is one fixed price, and with Atlas Connect it starts at $297 a month.
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